


star boy

by aloeverava



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Angst, Deaf Bokuto Koutarou, M/M, Poetry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:35:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26111236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aloeverava/pseuds/aloeverava
Summary: in which chance meetings never bloom into love.in which the call of destiny falls onto deaf ears.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Comments: 3
Kudos: 39





	star boy

akaashi is five when he learns

that not all stars

are in the sky

some come barrelling past him

at the playground

they have words and hair

bigger than the universe

it seems

at least,

that’s how akaashi sees it

a star so big

he makes the sun

hide

a star so big

akaashi is glad

he stayed away.

bokuto is eight

when he realizes

he can bend masses

with his loud words

and louder smile

he doesn’t quite

understand

why

but it makes the other kids

avoid him

akaashi is eight

when he first tries

to play volleyball

it kind of sucks.

he lets the ball

_smack_

against the concrete

time to go home,

he decides.

by the time bokuto is nine

he has already tasted

love

he has already tasted

victory, however small

and trivial

he has stumbled

upon the saccharine

sweet of

volleyball

at the park,

divided in half by

a net

he has seen

the way the ball

connects

him

and the other kids

no matter how loud

or scary

or weird

he seems

akaashi is eight

when “hey, hey, hey!”

stills his footsteps

on the way

home.

akaashi is eight

when the star he had avoided

comes back

to shine on him

unwelcomed

but bright.

the star makes

the volleyball

look more like

a comet

streaking through the sky,

unstoppable.

maybe volleyball doesn’t suck—

_“keiji, let’s go home!”_

nevermind.

bokuto can’t seem

to stop thinking

about the boy

who looked at him

with awe

rather than pity.

he is ten

and he still wonders

where

that boy is now

dad moves for work.

akaashi takes up volleyball

if only to make some friends

at his new school.

it’s dull.

bokuto is too loud

to everyone around him

no one wants

to hear about spiking

or being the ace

or how his serve

is improving

but bokuto is too loud

to hear them

maybe that’s on purpose.

christmas:

dad loses his job.

there’s no point

to moving back

there’s no point

to anything,

it seems.

akaashi is just glad

for a break

from the monotony

of school

christmas:

bokuto gets

a new volleyball

his mother whispers

into the ear of

his sighing father

“are you sure?

shouldn’t we stop—”

bokuto doesn’t catch

his father’s reply

even though the bedroom door

is wide open

akaashi passes by

the playground

with the volleyball net

on his way to

a game

they lose every set

but he can’t bring himself

to care

he just wonders

if star boy would

have

won

this one

but it doesn’t matter

because there goes

middle school

so much for volleyball.

a year of homeschooling

has proved futile

for bokuto

his parents fret

over his ears

but he just wants

to be a normal kid

they make him promise:

no volleyball

bokuto tries to nod

but the hearing aids

make his head

feel like

it weighs

a ton.

akaashi learns

that just like middle school

and everywhere else

no one

shuts up

in high school

_what is he doing here?_

_hey, isn’t that bokuto-kun?_

_don’t we know that kid from middle school?_

_but he’s a second-year?_

_haven’t you heard?_

_heard what?_

_haven’t you heard?_

no, bokuto hasn’t heard

please don’t

rub it in.

the crowd is deafening;

akaashi wishes

he was on the court

rather than

this bench

if only to distance

himself

from the roar

but he has to care enough

to earn that

privilege

bokuto’s parents

said he couldn’t play

but they never said

he couldn’t

watch

as much as it

hurts

he goes to his first

fukurodani boys’ volleyball game

bokuto wishes

he was on the court

rather than

in the stands

if only to feel

like a star again

~~_hey, hey, hey!_ ~~

the sea of cheers

could have been for him

he almost turns off his aids

but decides

that wouldn’t be volleyball.

akaashi forgets his bag

in the locker room

after the game

goes back,

pauses

in the open double doors

to stare

at a straggler

he is still,

still staring

at the emptied court

remembers:

not all stars

are in the sky

because some

have fallen

bokuto thinks about the boy

as he stands on the sideline

no, what a silly thought

akaashi opens his mouth

to say,

“who are you?”

closes it,

turns

from the sight

of his slouched back

(The Way of the Ace:

“Your back should be an inspiration to your teammates.”)

akaashi wonders

where star boy is

now

**Author's Note:**

> this started as me trying to write a bkak childhood friends to lovers trope, but it turned into "bkak runs into each other a few times as little kids and even end up at the same high school after all but never actually meet due to a tragic series of coincidences," whoops.


End file.
